James spruce



J. SPRUCE.

(No Model.)

BUCKLE.

No. 348,796. Patented Sept. 7, 1886.

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N. PETERS. Plmwulho m mr. Washingmn. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES SPRUCE, OF \VATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SCOVILL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 348,796, dated September 7, 1886.

Application filed February 8, 1886. Serial No. 191,123. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES SPRUCE, of Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new lniprovement in Buckles; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification,

and represent, in

Figure 1, a front or face view of the buckle; Fig. 2, a rear view of the same; Fig. 3, the blank as cut from sheet metal to form the tongue;

[5 Fig. 4, the frame detached; Fig. 5, a vertical central section of the buckle; Fig. 6,a longitudi nal section on line 00 w of Fig. 1, looking up- Ward.

This invention relates to an improvementin that class of buckle in which the frame is of rectangular form, the tongue in the shape of a flat plate hinged to one side of the frame and extending toward the other so as to grip the strap between the opposite side of the frame and the edge of the tongue, broadly considered a common and well-known construction of buckle, my invention relating particularly to the peculiar construction of the tongue,whereby I am able to make it from thinsheet metal,

and yet attainagreat degree of strength, make the buckle very thin, and without projections to interfere with the garment; and it consists in the construction as hereinafter described, and more particularly recited in the claim.

The frame (see Fig. 4) is made from apiece of wire bent preferably into the form of a parallelogram, so that the two ends will meet about midway of one side, the frame thus forming one side, A, a second side, 13, and connecting o ends 0. The tongue is cut from sheet metal, as seen in Fig. 3, in length substantially that of the frame, its upper edge, a, straight and extended from its lower edge to form a hook, I), or other means for attaching the suspenderends. In the body of the tongue a cut, (I, is

made parallel with the edge, and in length slightly less than the distance between the two ends of the frame, the slit at each end turned downward at right angles to form a cut, 6, in length somewhat less than the circumference of one side of the frame, leaving a flap, f, in

the body of the tongue separated from the body on three sides. That part of the body between the slit (l and the upper edge forms the grip pingbar D ofthe buckle. This bar is corrugated longitudinally, as seen in Fig. 5, to give it strength, and the two endsEEofthetongue are struck into concavo-convex shape at right angles to the edge of thetongue, as seen in Fig. 6, the concave side corresponding to the rounded surface of the ends 0 of the frame, andin so bringing the ends E E into this concave-convex shape the gripping-bar D is brought below the plane of the tongue-plate, as seen in Fig. 6. The flapf is bent around the divided sideB of the frame, as seen in Fig. 5, so as to form a hinge between the tongue and frame, and so that one may be turned from the other, as in dicated in Fig. 5; but when brought into the grasping or normal condition the edge of the tongue lies near the side A of the frame, but because of its depression, as before described. comes within the frame. The curved ends E E of the tongue rest upon the ends 0 C of the frame, as seenin Fig. (5, and form asupport or stop for the tongue to preventits being turned through the frame.

In adjusting the buckle the frame and tongue are turned the one from the other, as seen in Fig. 5, and the strap introduced between them from the rear sideontward, (the tongue being on the outside,) the draft upon the strap across the edge of the tongue draws the tongue toits place of rest,and the strap, being thicker than the space between the side of the frame and the edge of the tongue, will be securely gripped thereby.

In bending the fiapf around the side of the frame it is curved outward so as to bring the plane of the tongue portion Within the plane 0 of the frame, as seen in Fig. 5, and so that the curved face of the hinge portion and the two end portions of the tongueforma rounded border around the three sides of the frame, and practically around the exposed portion of the 5 buckle when in use. The free end of the strap is tucked through the slotF, which is produced by turning the flap around the frame to form the hinge. By this construction not only may the buckle-tongue be made from very thin maroo terial, but the construction presents an extremely neat and finished appearance on the face, and is so thin and without projections, all angles and points being protected, that it cannot interfere with the garments.

From the foregoing it will be understood I do not claim, broadly, a buckle composed of a frame with a flat tongue hinged to one side and so as to grip against the opposite side of the frame; but

\Vhat I do claim is* The herein-descril')ed buckle, consisting of the wire frame A B O 0, combined with the tongue, out from sheet metal, in length substantially that of the frame, having a flap, f, cut from its body and bent around one side of the JAMES SPRUCE.

Vitnesses':

F. J. GARSE, C. M. DEMo'rT. 

